Photo credit: Garrett James Photography (Moriello, Hlusiak), Lisa Mazurek (Tien)
West Kelowna Warriors forward Jaiden Moriello, Vernon Vipers forward Thomas Tien and Warriors forward Rylee Hlusiak have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Jaiden Moriello (F) – West Kelowna Warriors
Moriello tied for the league lead in points last week with seven in just two games after registering two goals and five assists in two West Kelowna wins.
The 2003-born forward did the majority of his damage on Friday night when he had a goal and five helpers in the Warriors 14-0 win against the Merritt Centennials. The six-point outing was the best of his BCHL career.
The following night, Moriello scored his team-leading 25th goal of the season in an eventual 4-3 shootout win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
In addition to leading his team in goals, the UMass-Lowell commit also leads West Kelowna in points with 55.
2nd Star – Thomas Tien (F) – Vernon Vipers
Tien has the unique distinction of being named one of the 3 Stars of the Week, while only suiting up for one game, but what a game it was.
After sitting out Friday’s contest, the 18-year-old from Richmond, B.C. had seven points on Saturday night in his team’s final regular season game, a 14-1 win over the Merritt Centennials. Tien had two goals and five assists after scoring a first-period goal, the eventual game-winner, then proceeding to put up three points in each of the second and third periods to set a new BCHL career high for points in a single game.
After joining the Vipers in November, Tien scored eight goals, 12 assists and 20 points in 32 regular-season games.
3rd Star – Rylee Hlusiak (F) – West Kelowna Warriors
Hlusiak averaged three points per contest last week, notching three goals and three assists for six points in two games.
The 20-year-old from Barrie, Ont. had a five-point night on Friday after piling up two goals and three assists in a win over the Merritt Centennials. His first-period goal stood up as the game-winner and he was named first star of the game.
Hlusiak opened the scoring again a night later for his 22nd of the year in the Warriors shootout win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
The Sacred Heart University commit ranks second on his team with 51 points in 54 games and his 22 goals are third most among Warriors teammates.
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Honourable mentions:
Penticton Vees F Josh Nadeau: 3GP – 3G – 4A – 7PTS
Surrey Eagles D Oliver Gabrielson: 2GP – 1G – 4A – 5PTS
Surrey Eagles F Ryden Evers: 2GP – 3G – 1A – 4PTS
Powell River Kings F Cameron Symons: 3GP – 3G – 3A – 6PTS
Powell River Kings F Parker Lalonde: 3GP – 2G – 4A – 6PTS
Cranbrook Bucks F Noah Quinn: 2GP – 1G – 4A – 5PTS
Wenatchee Wild F Cade Littler: 2GP – 1G – 4A – 5PTS
